The United States denied the Filipinos led by Emilio
Aguinaldo of well deserved victory and independence from Spain during the
Philippine revolution. To save face, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United
States after the Spanish-American war. For its acquisition of the Philippines
as its territory, the United States compensated Spain $20,000,000 under the
terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898. From then on the country was governed by
the Americans with the American governors -general exercising executive
authority. The Americans though gave the Filipinos semblance of autonomy by
having a legislative body of elected representatives composed of Filipinos.
A very remote territory in South East Asia from the
continental USA that was populated by people of predominantly Malayan
ethnicity, the Philippines was probably not suitable for inclusion as an
American state. The US congress passed The Tydings- McDuffie act of 1934 giving
the Philippines a self government and independence after a 10-year transition
period. Under that act the Philippine became a commonwealth with the governor
general replaced by the American High Commissioner. However, the power of the
High Commissioner was only advisory and ceremonial since the actual executive
authority was exercise by the president of the Commonwealth who at that time was
Manuel L. Quezon.
From the commonwealth era, to the Second World War, and to
the post war years, several Filipinos have prominently shaped the course of
Philippine history and political landscape. One of these Filipinos is Manuel Acuña
Roxas and his descendants.
Manuel Acuña Roxas
was born in Capiz on January 1, 1892. He was a posthumous child of Gerardo
Roxas who before Manuel's birth was killed during a shootout with the Spanish civil guards during the
Philippine Revolution. Manuel Roxas studied at Ateneo de Manila and took up law
at the University of the Philippines. He topped the bar exam in 1913 with a
grade of 92%. He first served as a member of municipal council in Capiz. He
later became governor and a member of the house of representatives who served as
its speaker for 12 consecutive years. He was also a member of the
constitutional convention from 1934 to 1935. He later became a senator in 1941,
but he was unable to serve until 1945 because of the war. The Second World War
forced President Manuel Quezon and Vice President Sergio Osmeña to flee in
exile to the United States. Before he left, Quezon made Roxas as his executive
secretary and the designated successor to the presidency in the event of the death
or disability of either the president or vice president. Roxas was captured by
the Japanese. He was able to get by being an adviser to the Japanese installed President
Jose P. Laurel. But he however helped in the war effort of the Filipinos and
Americans by secretly passing intelligence information to them. Near the end of
the war Roxas was returned to the military service as a brigadier general of
the USAFFE. When the congress was convened in 1945 Roxas was named as Senate
President. .In the coming of 1946 election he left the Nacionalista Party and
formed the Liberal Party.
The intervention of the war did not disrupt the timetable
for Philippine independence from the United States, and a general election was
to be held to elect leaders of the country. Roxas was the presidential
candidate of the liberal party, the party that he established. His opponent was another illustrious Filipino,
the incumbent president Sergio Osmeña of the Natconalista Party. With Osmeña
refusing to campaign believing that his reputation as a public servant was
enough to convince the people to vote for him, Roxas was able to win the
election. The induction of Roxas as president turned out to be one of the most
historic and memorable events in Philippine history. On July 4, 1946, a
ceremony at the Luneta Park that was attended by over 300,000 people which
included foreign dignitaries, commonwealth officials and plain spectators.
In an event marked with solemnity they witnessed the lowering of the American
flag and the raising of the Philippine flag. And at the same time a 21-gun
salute was rendered and bells of churches were pealed.
Manuel Roxas had a gargantuan task of presiding over a
country that had just emerged from the ashes of war. Million of Filipinos
perished, Infrastructures including private and public buildings and historic
places were destroyed, the country was financially bankrupt and the Filipinos
were deeply divided. Manila was the third most bombed and destroyed city after
Stalingrad and Warsaw. Roxas had to attend to the rehabilitation and
reconstruction of the country. He gave full amnesty to all those who
collaborated with the Japanese except those who were charged with serious crimes such
as rape, arson and murder to unify and reconcile the Filipinos in the trying
time.
Roxas’ endeavor for the fledgling country’s recovery and
rehabilitation was however marred with allegations of corruption in his administration.
Another big problem hounding him was the resurgence of the communist Hukbo ng
Bayan Laban sa Hapon or HUK. Roxas’ heavy handed dealing of the communists and his ouster of communist elected representatives in the legislature brought
about an open armed communist rebellion in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog
regions.
President Roxas died of a heart attack after giving a speech
before the US 13th Air force at Clark Air Field on April 15, 1948.
Roxas was a president who is always remembered and loved by the Filipinos. As a
tribute to him, two cities were named after him, one in Capiz and another in
Isabela. A one hundred peso bill has his portrait in it. Dewey Boulevard in the
city of Manila was renamed Roxas Boulevard to honor the late president.
Gerardo Manuel Roxas
was the only son of President Manuel Roxas. Gerardo or Gerry was born on August
25, 1924 in Manila. He had his elementary education at De La Salle College and his
high school at Ateneo de Manila. He was married to Judy Araneta of Bago, Negros
Occidental. Gerry Roxas studied law at University of the Philippines and
passed the bar in 1950. He started his political career as congressman in
Capiz, garnering the highest votes in the province’s election history. He then
ran for senator in 1963. He topped the senatorial race getting higher votes
than political stalwarts and senate luminaries at that time such as Diokno,
Puyat and Tolentino. In the 1965 presidential election he was tapped by
President Diosdado Macapagal as his vice presidential running mate. Marcos
defeated Macapagal. Gerry Roxas was narrowly defeated by Fernando Lopez after
an abruptly stopped tabulation. In the 1969 Philippine general election Gerry
Roxas ran for reelection under the LP standard bearer and presidential
candidate Sergio Osmeña Jr. The LP’s presidential, vice presidential and
senatorial candidates except Roxas all lost in that election that was considered by
observers as one of the dirtiest elections in Philippine history. As a senator
Gerry Roxas sponsored laws that benefitted the masses, improved the people’s living
condition, provided employment and family income and equal distribution of
wealth.
During the mid tern election in 1972, the LP political
leaders, the LP senatorial slate, and the local LP Manila candidates were
decimated by grenade explosions during the candidates' proclamation rally at Plaza
Miranda. Gerry Roxas was one of those severely injured in the incident. Accusing fingers
were pointed to President Marcos as the mastermind of the crime. But
revelations made several years after the incident indicated to the CPP/NPA as the
culprit. The incident at Plaza Miranda generated sympathy to the LP senatorial
candidates. As a result, six out of the LP’s eight senatorial candidates won
the election.
President Ferdinand Marcos was barred by the constitution to
seek for a third term of office. He also became unpopular to the people in the
middle of his second term, and this made the charismatic Senator Benigno Aquino
Sr. to be his likely successor to the presidency in 1973. However, Marcos derailed that
scenario by his declaration of Martial Law in 1972 and the subsequent change of the constitution. Those political schemes and maneuver enabled him to extend his
presidency until 1986. Gerry Roxas along with Benigno Aquino and other
opposition leaders were among the leading personalities that clamored for the
restoration of democracy during the Marcos regime. Gerry Roxas died on April
19, 1982 at the Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City at age 58.
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| Mar Roxas (photo credit: Ofelia T. Sta Maria) |
Manuel “Mar” Araneta
Roxas II the grandson of the late President Manuel Roxas and the son of the
late Senator Gerardo “Gerry” Roxas was married to Korina Sanchez, a broadcast
journalist of ABS-CBN TV network. Mar Roxas was born on May 13, 1957in Manila.
He studied at Ateneo de Manila for his grade school and high school. He went to
Wharton School of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania earning a degree
of economics in 1979 and worked as an investment banker in New York. When
President Marcos called for a snap election, Mar returned to the Philippines to
help Corazon Aquino during the election campaign.
In 1993 Gerardo “Dinggoy” Roxas Jr., Mar’s brother, died of
cancer. Mar ran for a special election that was conducted for Dinggoy’s unexpired
term. He won by a very big margin. He was later appointed by President Joseph
Estrada as his Secretary of Trade and Industry in 2000. At the EDSA 2
revolution in 2001 Mar resigned his position. Estrada was ousted in that
revolution, and was replaced by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who reinstated Mar as
the DTI secretary. Mar ran for the senate in 2004 and topped the election with
19 million votes, the highest votes obtained by any candidate in the history in
Philippine elections. During the 2010 presidential election Mar contemplated to
run for president. The death of Cory Aquino however made her son Benigno Aquino
III as the most viable candidate for the LP owing to the sympathy generated
with the demise of the popular former president. Mar acceded to the wish of the
party to slide down as a candidate for vice president to pave the way for
Benigno Aquino III as president. Aquino won as president. However, Mar Roxas
was defeated by Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. The late “Noynoy- Binay” or
“Noy-Bi” rally of Senator Escudero for Binay probably made a difference to the
Binay votes.
President Benigno Aquino appointed Mar Roxas his Secretary
of Telecommunications and Transportation in June 7, 2011. Aquino later
appointed him as secretary of DILG on August 31, 2012. Mar Roxas along with
President Aquino figured prominently in the successful military and police
operation against the MNLF forces of Nur Misauari during the siege of Zamboanga
City in September 2013. In contrast, Mar and the President were widely
criticized for their “slow” reactions to help the victims to the Typhoon
Yolanda in November 2013 that claimed thousands of lives and
destroyed many private and public properties particularly in the Western Visayas area.
President Benigno Aquino’s term as president expires in June 2016, and he has to select a successor to continue his program on “daang
matuwid” or straight path. On July 31, 2015, in an event dubbed as “gatherings
of friends” at the Club Filipino President Aquino in the presence of Liberal
Party officials and members officially announced his endorsement of Mar Roxas
as the LP’s standard bearer in the 2016 general election.
